The previous rank is in reference to our Midseason Top 25. Player profiles are linked in the player’s name if the player has one. Tell us what you love and hate about the rankings in the comments section or join the discussion at Soxtalk!

1. Tyler Flowers, C, White Sox
Previous: 1st

2. Dan Hudson, RH SP, White Sox
Previous: 4th

3. Dayan Viciedo, 3B, AA Birmingham
Previous: 2nd

4. Jordan Danks, CF, AA Birmingham
Previous: 3rd

5. C.J. Retherford, 2B/3B, AA Birmingham
Previous: 11th

6. Jared Mitchell, OF, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: 5th

7. Brent Morel, 3B, High-A Winston-Salem
Previous: 17th

8. Charlie Shirek, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Previous: 10th

9. Trayce Thompson, OF, Rookie Great Falls
Previous: Not yet signed (He would have been 13th if he had)

10. Josh Phegley, C, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: 8th

11. Carlos Torres, RH SP, White Sox
Previous: 14th

12. Jhonny Nunez, RH RP, White Sox
Previous: 25th

13. John Ely, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Previous: 19th

14. Christian Marrero, OF/1B, AA Birmingham
Previous: UR

15. John Shelby III, OF, AA Birmingham
Previous: 7th

16. Stefan Gartrell, OF, AAA Charlotte
Previous: 23rd

17. Nathan Jones, RH RP, High-A Winston-Salem
Previous: 12th

18. Charlie Leesman, LH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: 20th

19. Kyle Bellamy, RH RP, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: UR

20. Lucas Harrell, RH SP, AAA Charlotte
Previous: 15th

21. Stephen Sauer, RH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Previous: 23rd

22. Jon Link, RH RP, AAA Charlotte
Previous: 13th

23. Steven Upchurch, RH SP, Rookie Bristol
Previous: 16th

24. Brandon Hynick, RH SP, AAA Charlotte
Previous: Not yet in system

25. Clevelan Santeliz, RH RP, AA Birmingham
Previous: UR

Others receiving votes, in order of points/votes received: David Holmberg, Jon Gilmore, Miguel Gonzalez, Dan Remenowsky, Santos Rodriguez, Nevin Griffith, Eduardo Escobar, Brady Shoemaker, Nick Ciolli, Joe Serafin, Ryan Buch, Matt Heidenreich, Kyle Colligan, Gregory Infante, Jim Gallagher, Fernando Hernandez, Brandon Short, Seth Loman

Prospects previously ranked, still in the system from but received no votes this time: Brian Omogrosso (formerly #9, torn labrum), Justin Greene (#19)

Prospects previously ranked, no longer in the system: Dexter Carter (#7, traded to SD), Jack Egbert (#25, now with NYM)

Harrell, 24, is one of six starting pitchers for the Americans. Harrell pitched in the Arizona Fall League last year and struggled, but it is a huge hitters’ league. The World Cup could be a good proving grounds for Harrell to show he can handle players with Major League experience. This year Harrell has a 3.27 ERA between AA Birmingham and AAA Charlotte. He has a great groundball rate at both levels, but has struggled with his control, especially at Charlotte. His home and away splits suggest that he is struggling to adjust to the bandbox in Charlotte, but his overall numbers are decent enough.

Wassermann, 28, has 42.2 innings of Major League experience, but seems to have fallen out of favor this year. This is his third straight year spending time with the Knights, splitting time with the big league club each of the last two years as well. His stats aren’t as pretty, though his peripherals have stayed intact. His ERA is at 3.71, but his fielding independent ERA (FIP) is just 2.84. His inclusion on the roster means he will not get a September call-up, though this may be a sign that he wasn’t going to receive one anyway. The sidearmer probably still has some minimal value as one of the last guys on a bullpen, but the White Sox may not be the team he gets his next shot with.

The 26 year-old Kroeger appears to be a “AAAA” type player that also has Major League experience. He has 54 career AB to his name, but doesn’t appear to have a future with the White Sox. He is one of just three listed outfielders on the roster so he will see regular playing time.

Catcher Cole Armstrong was named to Team Canada. Armstrong was a prospect going into the season, but has struggled with the Knights. Armstrong was hitting just .252 this season.

For the rest of the roster and other information about the 2009 Baseball World Cup visit their Web site.

I’ve been getting a lot of requests about various players so I’ll try to cover as many as possible. I’ll start off talking about some of the relief prospects in the system. 40-man roster member Clevelan Santeliz is an intriguing talent. He’s your typical Latin American pitcher with a herky-jerky delivery, think K-Rod, who I would classify as being effectively wild. I’m not 100% sure about his pitches, but if I had to guess I’d say he throws a 4-seam fastball, slider and a splitter or sinker. His fastball ranges from 93 to 102, according to the gun at Regions Park. The slider is 80 to 85 and the splitter/sinker is 89 to 92. He definitely has the talent to be a Major Leaguer, justifying the 40-man roster placement. In addition to all that, he has a hot head, class clown personality, being only a few weeks shy of turning 23. He’s generally the lead prankster. He also serves as the gateway guy if you want a broken bat. When I got him to sign his 2009 Barons card, he told me “I hate this f***ing picture.” He much preferred his 2008 Barons card that was an action shot instead of a head shot like the 2009 card.

Lucas Harrell and Brian Omogrosso are also talented pitching prospects. Although Harrell is a starter, I believe his future is in relief. Both pitchers seem to have fragile arms, Harrell already having his shoulder rebuilt and Omogrosso suffering from a torn labrum, tumors in his pitching hand and Tommy John surgery. So, relief work would suit them well to limit the wear on their arms. Omogrosso has a hard fastball and a wicked slider, a good combo for a late innings reliever. His delivery is almost exactly the same as Bronson Arroyo’s. Harrell has the repertoire to be a starter, but he tends to not attack hitters enough and not trust his stuff and his defense. I believe that changing his role to a reliever would force him to focus on getting outs and help his confidence. He could still be valuable as a swing man a la D.J. Carrasco.

I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of Henry Mabee. Although already 24, he throws a hard fastball 95 to 97, a high 70’s curveball and a high 80’s splitter. As long as he keeps the fastball down, hitters are frozen. He has a large frame and I’m eager to see what he can do next season possibly splitting time between Birmingham and Charlotte.

I was probably the one person to have Christian Marrero ranked highly in my midseason top 25 or at all. Marrero was a draft and follow that signed in 2006 who has exceeded expectations. He’s an impressive hitter, able to hit to all fields. There is really nothing negative to say about him. He plays solid defense in RF, LF or 1B. He has good speed, capable of getting a triple on a hit deep into the corners. He hits for a high average and has solid power. His home runs are high, majestic shots to right or right center that carry. I can’t really think of a player to compare him to but I definitely think he’s a player that should be on everybody’s radar.

Although he’s struggled in his short time in AAA, Stefan Gartrell is also a highly talented player. He’s been criticized for striking out a lot, but that alone doesn’t tell the story. He is an extremely patient and selective hitter, always looking at 4-5 pitches at least, if not more. He has tremendous power to all fields. He can bomb it to dead center, find a jet stream and hit one that carries over the right field wall, or square one up perfectly that’s like a cannon shot over the left center wall. He certainly takes what he’s doing seriously as he’s not happy when he strikes out. He’s also another guy who works hard to hone his skills by spending extra time in the batting cage. Defensively, his only issue is routes to fly balls. It’s not that glaring of a problem, just more of an adventure. By the way, pronounce his name correctly, it’s STEF-UN.

I know a lot of people have been concerned with Jordan Danks’ progress lately. He has definitely struggled recently to just make consistent contact. If his wrist is still bothering him, that would explain the problem. We all know how important the wrist is for a hitter. He could also be hitting a wall as this is his first full year as a pro and he’s spent most of the season here in Birmingham. That’s no easy task for a young player to succeed at such a tough, tough level. He may need some more time in AA next year, but that’s no reason to panic. He has always been solid defensively, he has a lot of range and speed to cover plenty of ground. He still is an impressive hitter. He strikes the ball hard and can hit to all fields. He sees a lot of pitches, so patience isn’t a problem for him. So, once he’s back to 100% health next season, he should have a breakout year.

Daniel Hudson is the real deal. Ed Collari of the Winston-Salem Dash and the numbers agree with me. Even though he wasn’t as dominant in the Carolina League as he had been in the Southern League. He’s a stud and an ace in the making. He keeps hitters completely off balance by throwing all of his pitches at any time in the count. They just never know what’s coming. I can imagine years from now people talking about Hudson and wondering why so many teams passed on him in the 2008 draft. He has a large frame, he’s all of the 6′4″ and 220 pounds he’s listed at. That may benefit him to stay healthy. My only concern with him is his throwing motion. I worry about his elbow because he seems to put a lot of stress on it when he throws. Watch the Charlotte game on Wednesday on MiLB.tv to see what I mean. Hopefully I’m just digging too deep, but I’d keep that in mind for the future.

As usual, I’ll be taking requests on Soxtalk for next week’s edition of JPNese.

Cheers,
JPN

However, the team has a new look to it than it did on Opening Day and throughout most of the first half. It started with Gordon Beckham getting promoted in late May to AAA Charlotte. Then, a couple weeks later, Aaron Poreda made his way to the big leagues. In mid-June, Brandon Allen was moved up to Charlotte and a couple weeks ago Tyler Flowers received the same fate, though Allen has since been traded. That leaves currently only three of the original seven top prospects remaining on the team, but that isn’t to say the Barons aren’t still the most talented team in the Sox farm system.

Despite more notable departures from Brian Omogrosso and Lucas Harrell, the Barons have been able to reload through the high-A Winston-Salem Dash, who also won their first half division title. Along with Danks, Christian Marrero, Dan Hudson (who started in Kannapolis this season) and Charlie Shirek joined the Barons to replace the departed prospects.

Overall, that’s a lot of movement, but nothing extraordinary. So who cares? We often ignore wins and losses at FutureSox. Let’s change that for now. The Barons were 48-21 in the first half and have gone 18-11 in the second half. They have cooled down, clearly missing some of the sparks of the departed Barons, but are still just one game out of first place in their division in the second half.

Looking at where they have lost their production, it’s mostly in the lineup. Hudson, Shirek and Justin Cassel (demoted from Charlotte in a swap with Harrell) have more than matched the production of Poreda, Omogrosso and Harrell. Hudson and Shirek have both been able to put themselves on the long-term radar of the big league club and should get a look next spring. Whether or not they will be competing for a spot on the team is another story. First they need to survive the last week before the trade deadline and the offseason without getting traded, not a lock with Ken Williams as GM.

Getting back to the Barons, they haven’t been able to replace the production of Beckham, Flowers and Allen. Receiving David Cook from Charlotte after a short promotion will help bolster the middle of the lineup, but it’s tough to replace a good hitting shortstop and catcher. The Barons will need Dayan Viciedo to continue to improve (or start improving again?) and John Shelby to get it going if they are going to succeed in the Southern League playoffs. Of course, the team may have another new look by then.

We included the player’s rank from our preseason rankings and his range in our ballots. The ranges show how consistent or inconsistent we were. Some of our voters love one guy for one reason or another and the rest of us may think he is nuts. The parentheses after the highest and lowest votes show how many people had that player ranked in that position.

An exciting thing at FutureSox that we have been working on, and teased during the Brandon Allen trade, is our prospect profiles. They include biographical information, previous FutureSox rankings, scouting reports and other information. The profiles that we have already created are linked below the player’s name on this list. You can also view them by clicking the “Prospect Profiles” link at the top of any FutureSox.com page. We will add more profiles as we go and a few more will be coming soon so check them out!

Leave us some comments and tell us what you think about our rankings or join in the discussion at Soxtalk. If you think we are out of our minds, let us know where we screwed up!

1. Tyler Flowers, C, AAA Charlotte
Age: 23
Range: 1st (5) to 2nd (4)
Previous rank: 5th
Player Profile

2. Dayan Viciedo, 3B, AA Birmingham
Age: 20
Range: 1st (3) to 3rd (3)
Previous: T-2nd
Player Profile

3. Jordan Danks, CF, AA Birmingham
Age: 22
Range: 1st to 4th
Previous: 6th
Player Profile

4. Dan Hudson, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Age: 22
Range: 4th (7) to 5th (2)
Previous: 12th
Player Profile

5. Jared Mitchell, OF, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 20
Range: 3rd to 8th
Previous: Not yet in system
Player Profile

6. Dexter Carter, RH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 22
Range: 5th (2) to 14th
Previous: 8th
Player Profile

7. John Shelby III, OF, AA Birmingham
Age: 23
Range: 8th to 18th
Previous: 7th
Player Profile

8. Josh Phegley, C, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 21
Range: 7th to 16th
Previous: Not yet in system
Player Profile

9. Brian Omogrosso, RH SP/RP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 25
Range: 6th to 21st (2)
Previous: 19th

10. Charlie Shirek, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Age: 23
Range: 6th to unranked
Previous: 24th

11. C.J. Retherford, 3B/2B, AA Birmingham
Age: 24
Range: 5th to unranked
Previous: T-25th
Player Profile

12. Nathan Jones, RH RP, High-A Winston-Salem
Age: 23
Range: 6th to 21st
Previous: 23rd
Player Profile

13. Jon Link, RH RP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 25
Range: 4th to unranked
Previous: 17th

14. Carlos Torres, RH SP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 26
Range: 7th to unranked
Previous: UR

15. Lucas Harrell, RH SP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 24
Range: 8th to unranked
Previous: 14th

16. Steven Upchurch, RH SP, Rookie Bristol
Age: 19
Range: 10th to unranked
Previous: 18th
Player Profile

17. Brent Morel, 3B, High-A Winston-Salem
Age: 22
Range: 9th to unranked
Previous: 11th

18. Justin Greene, OF, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 23
Range: 17th to unranked (2)
Previous: UR

19. John Ely, RH SP, AA Birmingham
Age: 23
Range: 10th to unranked (3)
Previous: 20th

20. Charlie Leesman, LH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 22
Range: 9th to unranked (5)
Previous: UR

21. Jon Gilmore, 3B, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 20
Range: 14th (2) to unranked (2)
Previous: 22nd

22. Stephen Sauer, RH SP, Low-A Kannapolis
Age: 22
Range: 13th to uranked (3)
Previous: UR

23. Stefan Gartrell, OF, AA Birmingham
Age: 25
Range: 9th to unranked (4)
Previous: UR

24. Jack Egbert, RH SP/RP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 26
Range: 11th to unranked (4)
Previous: 9th
Player Profile

25. Jhonny Nunez, RH RP, AAA Charlotte
Age: 23
Range: 12th to unranked (3)
Previous: UR

Trayce Thompson, OF*
Age: 18
Range: 7th to unranked
*We included Trayce Thompson in our ballots because we believe he will sign, but since he hasn’t yet, we won’t include him in the final rankings. If we were to include him, he would have slid in at 13th, ahead of Jon Link.

That still leaves eight players: unanimous picks, catcher Tyler Flowers and second baseman C.J. Retherford as well as third baseman Dayan Viciedo, outfielders Stefan Gartrell and David Cook and pitchers John Ely, Fernando Hernandez and Jhonny Nunez.

Flowers and Viciedo are scheduled to play in the Futures Game in St. Louis the day before, but according to Barons GM Jonathan Nelson, Flowers said he wanted to be in Birmingham for the game even if he can’t play. Flowers told the MLB travel agent that he wanted to get back ASAP so that he can at least be a part of the experience. No word on Viciedo’s plans.

The game will take place at Regions Park in Birmingham on July 13th with Barons manager Ever Magallanes heading up the South squad. A home run derby will take place the day before at historic Rickwood Field. It’s safe to say that Flowers will not participate in the derby much to my chagrin. I guess that leaves it up to David Cook to launch some surface to air bombs.

Cheers,
JPN

Cheers,
JPN

There are a number reasons that may be causing this. One could be the absence of key players like Jordan Danks and Brandon Allen from the lineup. Danks had settled in setting the table for the rest of the order. John Shelby III has done well picking up for Danks in his absence though. Allen was entrenched in the middle of the lineup. But, they took five of six games from Huntsville in dominant fashion without both of them. Although Allen did play in the first game. Lucas Harrell has fell back into his old ways of nibbling and not attacking hitters. Brian Omogrosso is gone too, but he wasn’t as successful in his recent outings before his promotion to Charlotte. Added on to all this is the fact that Birmingham is completely devoid of left handed pitchers, starters and relievers. On the other hand, newcomers Christian Marrero, Daniel Hudson and Lee Cruz have already contributed to the Barons attack. Marrero can hit the ball to all fields and has shown me why he is a .300 hitter, Hudson is a potential ace in the making and Cruz could get hot and not cool off the rest of the year just like in 2008. Or is it just that the Barons have set the bar so high for winning this season that a three game slide can cause mild alarm?

Cheers,
JPN

Here is a quick look at how each of our top 25 is doing so far this season as well as what direction they would be moving on the list as a result of what we’ve seen in April and May. FutureSox will be posting updated rankings at the midway point of the season.

1. Gordon Beckham (White Sox) Pos: IF Bat-Throw: R-R Stock up
Beckham did well enough in AA Birmingham to earn a promotion to Charlotte in late May and got off to a hot start with the Knights. His Major League debut came after just 7 AAA games. You could argue his stock is up since the start of the season, even though he was already the Sox top prospect by a wide margin, since he got to the big league club a lot sooner than originally expected. He switched to 3B with the Knights and will play a bit there with the Sox, for now. The move doesn’t seem like a natural fit for Beckham, whose arm has been in question, but it got him to the Majors sooner.
T-2. Dayan Viciedo (AA Birmingham) Pos: 3B B-T: R-R Stock unchanged
At 20 years old, holding your own in AA is impressive and that’s what Dayan has done so far. He hit just .234 in April, but showed significant improvement in May, posting a .297 batting average. Patience and power have not come yet (just six walks and 11 extra-base hits in over 200 AB), but as long as steady improvement remains evident it appears Viciedo is on track to do what the Sox thought he would.
T-2. Brandon Allen (AA Birmingham) Pos: 1B B-T: L-R Stock unchanged
The 6′2″ 235 pound slugger has done more of the same that we’ve seen from him the last two seasons. Allen has a batting average hovering around .300, a decent eye at the plate and notable power so far in his transition to AA.
4. Aaron Poreda (AA Birmingham) Pos: LHP Stock unchanged
The flame throwing lefty has done well in Birmingham dating to his mid-season promotion to the Barons last year. The White Sox are taking it slowly with him, but he likely will make his Major League debut this season in some fashion. The strikeouts are still there (better than one per inning), but his walks are up which is a concern. It still remains uncertain whether or not he will be a starter or a reliever in the Majors, but the Sox will give him every chance to be a starter.
5. Tyler Flowers (AA Birmingham) Pos: C B-T: R-R Stock unchanged
Despite a less than spectacular batting average, Flowers has a .439 OBP. It’s hard not to love that from a catcher, especially with a lot of power to go with it (15 XBH in 148 AB).
6. Jordan Danks (AA Birmingham) Pos: CF B-T: L-R Stock up
The younger Danks overcame a high strikeout rate when he started the season at Winston-Salem to earn a promotion to join the prospect-laden Barons. He’s hit for a high average and drawn a lot of walks for both clubs. Also, Jordan is hitting for the power scouts worried might never show up for him. The extremely athletic, slick fielding outfielder is now looking at an ETA of early or mid 2010 instead of 2011.
7. John Shelby (AA Birmingham) Pos: OF B-T: R-R Stock down
Shelby is still hitting for power and is drawing more walks, but is hitting just .246 in AA. The lack of contact is worrisome, but he has been hitting better in the last several games.
8. Dexter Carter (low-A Kannapolis) Pos: RHP Stock unchanged
The 6′6″ righty put up staggering numbers for Great Falls (89 K in 68.2 IP with a 2.23 ERA) after being drafted in the 13th round of last year’s draft. So far this year it’s more of the same for the Intimidators. The strikeouts are still coming in bunches and his walks are even down a bit from last season.
9. Jack Egbert (AAA Charlotte) Pos: RHP Stock down
Egbert got called up to the Sox in late April and got roughed up in two outings from the bullpen. Quickly he was sent back down and his numbers in AAA have not been encouraging. Recently he was put back into the Knights’ rotation for the first time since being a full time starter last year. The results have been better so far.
10. Jeff Marquez (AAA Charlotte) Pos: RHP Stock down
Four awful starts preceded an injury that has kept him out of action since April 28. It doesn’t look like Marquez has much of a future, which is a quick change from the Spring Training rumblings. If he can get healthy there might be hope, but it’s hard to like Marquez’s prospects right now.
11. Brent Morel (high-A Winston-Salem) Pos: 3B Stock unchanged
The Sox 3rd rounder last year has struggled with contact, but has brought some power and good defense. He’s not a top tier prospect, but adds some depth in the system at the hot corner.
12. Dan Hudson (high-A Winston-Salem) Pos: RHP Stock up
Along with his former Old Dominion teammate, Carter, Hudson put up sparkling numbers at Great Falls after being drafted in the 5th round last year. He started this year for the I’s and had a jaw dropping 30-2 strikeout to walk ratio in 22 innings. That was good enough to get him moved up to the Dash, where he has been less impressive. So far he has walked 10 in 24 innings, which is odd considering the great control he showed between two levels as a pro.
13. Eduardo Escobar (low-A Kannapolis) Pos: SS B-T: S-R Stock down
Escobar has to be one of the biggest disappointments of the young season in the White Sox system. A hot start at Great Falls earned him a promotion to Kannapolis last year with below average results. At only 20 years old, he got some attention on the prospect radar, but this season he has regressed. Escobar got rave reviews for his defense, but will have to hit better for his glove to carry him if it is as good as advertised.
14. Lucas Harrell (AA Birmingham) Pos: RHP Stock down
More of the same for Harrell, good production with mediocre peripherals. He has bounced back decently from his shoulder injuries that cost him all of 2007 and two months in 2008. Still though, it’s hard to see Harrell as much of a prospect, but if he continues to pitch like this he has a slim chance at getting a look as the last guy in the bullpen down the road a la Egbert or Wes Whisler.
15. Jose Martinez (low-A Kannapolis) Pos: OF B-T: R-R Stock unchanged
Martinez has been hurt all year.
16. Justin Cassel (AAA Charlotte) Pos: RHP Stock down
Justin is 1-6 so far for the Knights. It’s too soon to completely write him off, but several guys have passed him on the White Sox depth chart.
17. Jon Link (AAA Charlotte) Pos: RHP Stock up
After leading the minors in saves last year with 35, Link is doing ever better this year for the Knights. With a sub 2 ERA and a K-BB ratio over 3 to 1, he should at least be on the radar of the White Sox.
18. Steven Upchurch (extended Spring Training) Pos: RHP Stock unchanged
Upchurch will likely pitch for Great Falls after pitching for Bristol last year.
19. Brian Omogrosso (AA Birmingham) Pos: RHP Stock up
Omogrosso has been converted into a full-time starter this season. His ERA is below 4, but he is walking far too many to be considered a good prospect as a starter. It’s not unthinkable that he has a moderate future as a reliever though. His mid 90s fastball keeps him on the Major League radar.
20. John Ely (AA Birmingham) Pos: RHP Stock up
Ely has transitioned well to AA this year. He’s not blowing away the competition, but he is outperforming a few other Barons’ starters.
21. Lance Broadway (Mets organization) Pos: RHP
Broadway was traded to the Mets for catcher Ramon Castro after splitting time between the Knights and the Sox. It seems like a good return for Broadway, who has a limited future in the Majors.
22. Jon Gilmore (low-A Kannapolis) Pos: 3B B-T: R-R Stock unchanged
This far down the list, expectations aren’t that high, but Gilmore has big upside. He’s been streaky this season and has shown improvement as the season has gone on, but his overall numbers still remain poor.
23. Nathan Jones (high-A Winston-Salem) Pos: RHP Stock up
Another high upside guy towards the bottom of our rankings, Jones has Major League stuff with no control. The control has been improving this season and he earned an early promotion from Kannapolis. He has given up just two hits and no walks in his first 7.1 IP for the Dash. Hopefully Jones has begun to figure it out.
24. Charlie Shirek (high-A Winston-Salem) Pos: RHP Stock unchanged
Shirek is replicating his Kannapolis stats from a year ago. If he continues this at AA next season, he will shoot up the prospect rankings.
T-25. David Cook (AA Birmingham) Pos: OF B-T: R-R Stock unchanged
Cook isn’t hitting for a high average, but his OBP and power remain high. He is barely a prospect as is because of his age (27), but he keeps performing well.
T-25. C.J. Retherford (AA Birmingham) Pos: IF B-T: R-R Stock up
Retherford has hit well at every level, especially so far this season with the Barons. It might be time to think about him as a possible utility player in the Majors.

Lucas Harrell Interview Questions:

First off, how does it feel to be called up to Birmingham?
It’s really nice, you know. I’m working on a lot of new things this year and I feel like my progress has gotten a lot better. I did well at the low A level, and now I’m hoping to do well at the AA level. I was really excited.

How come you picked a start day to do this interview rather than one of your off days?
Well, on my start day I don’t have to be at the stadium until two hours before the game. Our game is at seven o’clock tonight, so I have to be there at five. I just have this little down time, where I just don’t think about anything. It’s when I get to the field when I start putting on my game [face].

Early in your professional career you had struggled with your command and you talked about how it could be attributed to trying to overpower professional hitters. Talk about the progress you’ve made with your command and where you currently see yourself “command” wise?
The command in my movement, I throw a two-seam fastball, and early in my career I threw it hard; actually, a little bit harder than I do now. But, I couldn’t control the movement. And then I learned that with a little bit off I can still throw 92-93 (MPH), but I can control, and with that pitch, being able to control that, that’s really helped me just with my other pitches. I mean, my change-up was always good, but in high school I didn’t throw it enough because it helped hitters out. At this level, that’s my second pitch. And then my slider is still a pitch I really need to work on a lot. It’s either there or it’s not. Maybe some days I’ll throw two good ones in a game when I need to throw eight or nine [good ones]. Some days I can throw nine or ten good ones, and maybe one or two bad ones, so I need to get more consistent with my slider. And, I mean, I can always improve my fastball command and my change-up command, but those are two of my better ones.

Was there anyone in particular that has helped you with your command? Maybe a pitcher coach or instructor?
Yeah. Last year when I was in Kannapolis, I got with J.R. Perdew in spring training and that’s when we tweaked my mechanics a little bit, to change a few little things, and I noticed my command getting better. And then there were some things that he taught me, like how to work hitters, how hitters set you up, how you can set hitters up, and to work to your strengths, keep it simple, and don’t try to do too much. He’s really helped me in my development.

What is your plan on the mound? How do you go about attacking the hitter?
It depends. There are a couple guys where you see their teams a lot, so the hitters make adjustments, and you have to make adjustments also because if you don’t, they’ll start to hit you. You have to be able to recognize what their strengths are and what are each hitter’s weaknesses, and try to exploit that. Therefore, you do pitch to some different than you do others. I mean, with lefties, I’m going to attack more with my fastball, change, and with righties, I’m going to attack more with my fastball, slider, but I will mix in a change-up away to the righties also.

How would you describe your arm angle during your delivery? Is it overhand, ¾, sidearm?
I guess it’s kind of three-quarters, maybe a little bit below.

What pitches do you throw? Also, are you working on anything new?
Right now, I’m not working on anything new. I’m just trying to keep the ones I have good. But, I throw a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a slider, well, it’s kind of a slider-curve or slurve, and a change.

What would you consider your strikeout pitch?
It would probably be my circle-change. Actually, I’m a right-handed pitcher, but I think I match up better against left-handed hitters.

Do you think your groundball tendencies will put you above other SP prospects in the system, considering U.S Cellular is a big HR Park?
I would hope so, but, yeah, U.S. Cellular Field is definitely a field where the ball flies out, so you want to be a good groundball pitcher. I have a lot of natural downward movement to my change-up and my fastball, so that’s helped me get a lot of groundballs, and hopefully that puts me ahead of some other prospects because I do get a lot of groundballs. But, I’m still young, and I know it’s a work in progress.

Do you think getting a chance to pitch with some top Sox pitching prospects like Lance Broadway and Tyler Lumsden will help you in your development?
Yeah, no doubt. I actually watched Lance throw last night, I was in the dugout, and I just picked up a couple little things he does; he attacks hitters. But, I mean, I think you can learn something from everybody, even the guys that are younger you, even though (laughs) I’m the youngest one on this team, now. And Tyler Lumsden is a good pitcher, smart. And another one is Corwin Malone. He’s an older veteran guy, so if you just sit and listen, you can learn something from everybody.

What teammate of yours has impressed you the most this year?
It might sound funny, but I’m going to say Chris Kelly. He was our first baseman in Winston, and he hits the ball well. He’s probably hitting .270, .280; probably has about 15 homeruns. I think was leading the league in RBI’s, too, with about 60-something. But, he’ll have a bad at-bat, and some guys will come in there saying “f-this, f-that,” and he’ll come in there, set his helmet down, and he might even smile because he knows that there’s going to be another at-bat, don’t get so pissed off that it ruins the rest of your game. He doesn’t take his at-bat to the field. He is the best fielding first baseman that I’ve ever played with, and he’s just very professional, and does what it takes to get the job done. If you need a hit in a clutch situation, he’s the guy that going to get your hit.

What are some things you need to improve in the future to make the majors?
Consistency and also my mental side of the game. From last year to this year, I know a heck of a lot more, and you have to recognize when guys make adjustments to you. I think those things, and you’ve got to be able to get out left-handed hitters. I know when Lance Broadway was pitching last night, he was ahead of hitters, and you have to be ahead of hitters because when you fall behind, you get hit. So, the mental side of the game, staying ahead [in the count], and throwing pitches for strikes at any time are the main things.

Primarily, you’ve pitched as a starter in the minors? Have you ever pitched in the relief role, and if so, is that something someone in the organization has ever approached you about doing?
No one has ever approached me about doing it, at least not to my face. When I first got drafted in ‘04, I was sent to Bristol, and I actually started out there throwing two or three relief appearances, and I struggled. But then shortly after my last relief effort, they moved me to starter, and I’ve started ever since.

Growing up as a kid, who was the player you tried to emulate? Are there any players currently in the majors that you model yourself after?
Well, if you look at my high school draft video, I look almost exactly like Nolan Ryan. That’s who I wanted to throw like. I didn’t quite throw as hard, but actually, I threw harder in high school than I do now. But, Nolan Ryan is a guy I really look up to. He took care of business the way it was supposed to be done, and he had a long career. Greg Maddux is another guy I really look up to.

If you had to chose, who is the one person that has helped you throughout your baseball career the most and why?
My dad. I always had an interest in baseball since I was four or five years old, and he didn’t really push the game on to me like some parents do. Every time I wanted to do something, he’d put the tools in front of me so I could do it. Like, we had a batting cage in our back yard. He spent money he didn’t have to, for me to do stuff, do trips, and they really put a lot of time and effort and love into it.

Best baseball memory?
I have two. In high school, my senior year we won the state championship and that was a great feeling. Obviously, I want to win a World Series one of these days, but I mean, I beat Blake DeWitt, who was a first round draft pick of the Dodgers that year and I hit a homerun off of him, and then the next day we won the state championship. That was a pretty good feeling. And then last year, when we won the South Atlantic League in Kannapolis, that was a pretty good feeling. We worked hard all year. We didn’t play well in the first half, but we played really well as a team and did the little things to get the job done. It was pretty awesome.

Do you have a nickname? If so, how did it come about?
They haven’t really given me one. They call me “Ducas” sometimes, but besides that, they haven’t really given me one. Since I’m the youngest one, they give me the most crap. I was the youngest one in rookie ball, then in Kannapolis, and then this year in Winston-Salem and Birmingham. I’ll probably get one here. I’ve only been here a few days, so the older guys will probably give me one.

Who’s the toughest minor league hitter you’ve had to face this season?
There are two, and they both play for Myrtle Beach. Michael Rosamond, who’s actually in Mississippi now, is a left-handed hitter, well-balanced, and he doesn’t swing at stuff out of the zone. He’s got a good eye. And then, when you get ahead of the count, he’ll foul of five or six pitches to make you throw eight or nine pitches to him. He’s always a tough at-bat. And then another guy who’s in Mississippi now is Brandon Jones. Same kind of guy [as Rosamond]. He’s a left-handed hitter with power, and if you make a mistake, he’ll hit it out of the ballpark.

Is there any one song or CD that you listen to before you pitch to get you pumped up for the game?
There’s not a particular song. I just listen to some hard rock or rap, whatever I’m in the mood for that day. Just something so I can sit there and think about the game, but at the same time, get pumped up.
Favorite Baseball Team growing up?
American League = Royals
National League = Braves
Favorite Movie?
Braveheart
Favorite Food?
Chinese Food
Lastly, what’s the best prank you’ve pulled on a teammate or seen pulled?
When I was in the instructional league, I got a prank pulled on me. They almost pulled it off, but I was sick and I didn’t feel good. It was early in the morning and I had fallen asleep in my locker. So, they turned the clock to where it said 9:45, when we were supposed to be stretching. Then Snyder comes in and starts yelling, but I had my cell phone in my hand. Anyway, he starts yelling “What are doing!” And everybody is out in the hallway, listening. I didn’t look at the clock on the wall, though, because if I would have, I wouldn’t have known, but for some reason, I looked at my phone and saw what time it was. So, I was just like “What’s going on?” All the guys say that they got me because I did jump up at first because I was kind of startled. And they were all laughing. It was kind of funny.